He said: “Therefore Florence will almost certainly be a more ‘damaging hurricane’ - but Mangkhut presents a more serious threat to life considering it will hit with stronger winds, over a larger area, and have higher storm surge.”

Officials have warned of storm surges of up to 7m (23 feet) and have said the heavy rains could trigger landslides and flash floods.

In 2013, the Philippines was struck by the deadliest storm on record - Super Typhoon Haiyan, which kills more than 7,000 and affected millions.

Forecasts suggest Mangkhut will pass to the south of Hong Kong later in the weekend.